United Arab Emirates (UAE) telecoms group Etisalat has recorded a 3.9% rise in first-half net profit after federal royalties to AED4.7 billion (USD1.28 billion). Consolidated revenues climbed 3.2% year-on-year to AED26.4 billion. The group had 12.1 million fixed and mobile subscribers in its domestic market at the end of June 2021 and 156.1 million across its entire group footprint in the Middle East, Africa and Asia, with this figure climbing 7.0% in twelve months.
Hatem Dowidar, CEO of Etisalat Group, said: ‘Despite the challenges in our key markets, our businesses delivered growth in revenue, net profit and operating free cash-flow. With our success in deploying 5G as well as taking the global lead in fibre penetration, we ensured that our networks are future-ready for the next generation of mobile networks and technologies.’